My Journal #2

April 29

Has it been that long??? Oh my! 
I guess I better catch up.  The Easter Cantata went fantastic. My narrators were great. The ones who memorized did the best. There are those who seem to grasp the drama and acting and it shows. D. was the centurion and he got emotional each time he had to speak this one section. He felt the emotion of the character and we all did. There were tears in the crowd as he spoke."It wasn't these nails that held him to the cross," (he had some large nails he clinked him his hand) "It wasn't my soldiers that held him to the cross" Then his voice cracked a little and he paused to gather himself and the congregration was right there with him. "It was love, love that held him on that cross." Even as I type the words I feel his emotion as he said them. I went back to the video on line and watched it again. I see all the mistakes, but the songs and the story was there.

Now on to the reason I have been lax on writing. As I said earlier, we had to move. We were living in my boss's house when he moved to Los Angeles. He told us at the beginning of March the $ he had to pay out to make up the difference between when we pay and the mortgage payment was too much. He put the house on the maket at the beginning of March.

The first of April, he thought he had an offer to rent the house at full mortgage pmt for 5 years. He jumped on it and told us we had to be out of the house at the end of April. So I madly tried to find a house to rent. I prayed and I found a great house, about the same distance from work. It had the big garage Paul needed to build shelves for all our stuff (until we can sell it) and the master bedroom was big enough for our furniture. The backyard has two large raised garden boxes. Something I've always wanted but never got. It already has stawberries, parsley, oregano, rosemary. I will plant some mint. There is a place for beans, tomatoes and anything else I find to grow. I never had a garden so this will be a new experience for me. Luckil, I have friends that have great gardens. So I might try some broccoli and a cabbage or two!  Now I don't have to rely on FARMVILLE, I will have my own garden. ha ha
We are moving in tomorrow so I will be working there and no computer contact. I have to get my office organized and all the xfinity stuff set up.

May is also going to be a busy month. I have to get settled in the new house AND get ready for Memorial Day Clean-up at our campgrounds. For the last five years or more I have been in charge of cleaning the restaurant and coordinating the big picnic lunch that feeds all the people who volunteer.  For the last two years we did a breakfast that was a success. We got more people out and it was less work. Previously we took donuts and coffee to stations where they took a break. It has rained for every year I have been doing it. To me it was a waste of time.

We talked about it and thought it was easier to just make a quick breakfast, everyone would come and just work through to lunch. They would be full at the start and ready to eat at 1:00. We will serve, pancakes, bacon and sasuage, scrambled eggs and toast and oatmeal. There will be milk, OJ and coffee. Just enough to fill their tummies and get them out the door to clean.

It was a real winner. Most of the crews were done with their work by noon and didn't have to drag it out longer in the afternoon. They were hungry by lunch time.  We have 11 acres that include, a few hundred cabins, a huge tabernacle and the grounds and walks that need the needles raked. 
We provide the hot dogs and hamburgers, everyone else brings, salads, veggies, and desserts. We feed about 260 people at lunch. There are many older folks who come to the picknic as a tradion as well as young families who come and work for the same thing. We have tried to serve pulled pork and sloopy joes as an alternative. Nope they all just want the boiled weiners and grilled (prepacked frozen) hamburgers. Oh well, you can't break a tradition no matter what!

A couple of years ago one couple told about their daughter who want to come an clean the cabins. They told her it was dusty, and there were spiders that had to be swept out of the cabins and from the ceilings of the cabins. She didn't care she wanted to be a part of the clean-up on the campgrounds. She was only seven at the time. Now she is about ten or more and still loves coming.